From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Bennett slams government for leaving Israel exposed to ‘vengeful Iran’ after truce
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett joins the chorus of opposition voices criticizing the government over the ceasefire with Iran, arguing in a live television announcement that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had failed to achieve the war’s goals, and this “will leave Israel facing a vengeful Iran,” which will be even more determined to go nuclear.
“The reason why so many people feel disappointed tonight is that the leadership sold us illusions,” he continues. “All their empty promises have exploded in our faces. Unfortunately, each of us sees with our own eyes that Hamas is getting stronger. Hezbollah and Iran are standing on their own two feet, and this is happening because a government that dismantles Israel from within cannot defeat the enemy from without.”
By postponing action against Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas for years, the government has allowed them to “balloon to monstrous proportions,” he adds, calling for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry and the immediate conscription of the ultra-Orthodox.
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